$1 Million Mass. Grant Bolsters Hunt for Ebola Test
Original article from: Boston Globe posted on December 16, 2014. By Michael Levenson
A Cambridge nonprofit, one of several groups worldwide racing to develop a rapid test for the Ebola virus, received a boost Tuesday when state officials gave the organization $1 million to help bring its finger-prick device to market.
Marcus Lovell Smith, president and chief executive of Diagnostics for All, said his group is seeking to develop a hand-held device that can detect the deadly virus in 45 minutes, sparing health workers from waiting days for results from central laboratories in West Africa.
Only 19 laboratories in the region have the capacity to confirm Ebola cases — four in Guinea, seven in Sierra Leone, and eight in Liberia, according to the World Health Organization.
Dr. Richard Sacra, a Holden doctor who contracted the virus while delivering babies in Liberia earlier this year, was among those who announced the grant for Diagnostics for All at a State House news conference.
Sacra, who said he is planning to return to Liberia to continue his medical work next month, said a rapid Ebola test could help control the spread of the virus by allowing workers to identify, isolate, and treat patients quickly. Ebola has caused an estimated 6,400 deaths in West Africa.